Mobile wireless communications device with spatial diversity antenna and related methods

ABSTRACT

A mobile wireless communications device may include first and second housings, a hinge pivotally coupling the first and second housings, and a first antenna carried by the first housing. The mobile wireless communications device may include a second antenna carried by the second housing, wireless transceiver circuitry carried by the first housing and configured for spatial diversity operation with the first and second antennas, and a hinge connector carried by the hinge and coupling the second antenna to the wireless transceiver circuitry.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and, moreparticularly, to wireless communications and related methods.

BACKGROUND

Cellular communication systems continue to grow in popularity and havebecome an integral part of both personal and business communications.Cellular telephones allow users to place and receive phone calls mostanywhere they travel. Moreover, as cellular telephone technology isincreased, so too has the functionality of cellular devices. Forexample, many cellular devices now incorporate Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists,calculators, memo and writing programs, etc. These multi-functiondevices usually allow users to wirelessly send and receive electronicmail (email) messages and access the internet via a cellular networkand/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example.

As the functionality of cellular communications devices continues toincrease, so too does demand for smaller devices that are easier andmore convenient for users to carry. Nevertheless, the move towardsmulti-functional devices makes miniaturization more difficult as therequisite number of installed components increases. Indeed, the typicalcellular communications may include several antennas, for example, acellular antenna, a global positioning antenna, and a WiFi IEEE 802.11gantenna.

More specifically, in typical “clamshell” form factor cellularcommunications devices, the packaging of components may becomeproblematic since it may be undesirable to couple devices through thehinge of the device. The coupling of devices through the hinge maybecome undesirable due to the manufacturing cost of a complex hingepiece and reliability problems in the use of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the mobile wireless communications device in anopen position, according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mobile wireless communications device ofFIG. 1 in a closed position.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the mobile wireless communications device ofFIG. 1 in the closed position with a portion of the second housingremoved.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mobile wireless communicationsdevice of FIG. 1 in the open position with a portion of the firsthousing removed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the mobile wirelesscommunications device of FIG. 1 in the open position with the first andsecond housings removed.

FIG. 6 is a plain view of the second antenna of the mobile wirelesscommunications device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a plain view of the first antenna of the mobile wirelesscommunications device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram of the mobile wirelesscommunications device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a mobile devicethat may be used with the first and second antennas of FIGS. 1-8.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a communicationsubsystem component of the mobile device of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an example block diagram of a node of a wireless network.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating components of a host system inone example configuration for use with the wireless network of FIG. 11and the mobile device of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An aspect is directed to a mobile wireless communications device thatmay include first and second housings, a hinge pivotally coupling thefirst and second housings, and a first antenna carried by the firsthousing. The mobile wireless communications device may include a secondantenna carried by the second housing, wireless transceiver circuitrycarried by the first housing and configured for spatial diversityoperation with the first and second antennas, and a hinge connectorcarried by the hinge and coupling the second antenna to the wirelesstransceiver circuitry.

More specifically, the hinge may comprise a hinge body having apassageway therethrough. The hinge connector may include a coaxialportion extending into the passageway of the hinge body, and a flexiblecircuit portion being coupled to the coaxial portion and comprising aflexible substrate and a plurality of electrical conductive tracesthereon.

In some embodiments, the hinge body may have a first end and a medialportion adjacent thereto, and the coaxial portion may pass into thefirst end, and the flexible circuit portion may extend from the medialportion. Additionally, in yet other embodiments, the mobile wirelesscommunications may further comprise an electrically conductive biasspring providing an electrically conductive path between the first andsecond housings.

Furthermore, the mobile wireless communications may further comprise acircuit board carried by the first housing. The mobile wirelesscommunications may also comprise a capacitor on the circuit boardelectrically coupled to the electrically conductive bias spring. Themobile wireless communications may further include a display carried bythe second housing, and a graphic processing unit (GPU) carried by thefirst housing and configured to be coupled to the display via the hingeconnector.

For example, the first antenna may be carried by the first housing on anend thereof opposite to the hinge. The second antenna may be carried bythe second housing adjacent the hinge. The hinge connector may comprisea plurality of connections.

Another aspect is directed to a method of making a mobile wirelesscommunications device. The method may include providing first and secondhousings, pivotally coupling the first and second housings with a hinge,and positioning a first antenna to be carried by the first housing. Themethod may include positioning a second antenna to be carried by thesecond housing, positioning wireless transceiver circuitry to be carriedby the first housing and for spatial diversity operation with the firstand second antennas, and coupling the second antenna to the wirelesstransceiver circuitry with a hinge connector carried by the hinge.

Another aspect is directed to a method for operating a mobile wirelesscommunications device that may include first and second housings, ahinge pivotally coupling the first and second housings, and a firstantenna carried by the first housing. The mobile wireless communicationsdevice may include a second antenna carried by the second housing,wireless transceiver circuitry carried by the first housing, and a hingeconnector carried by the hinge and coupling the second antenna to thewireless transceiver circuitry. The method may include using thewireless transceiver circuitry for a spatial diversity operation withthe first and second antennas.

The present description is made with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which various example embodiments are shown. However, manydifferent example embodiments may be used, and thus the descriptionshould not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forthherein. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete. Like numbers refer to likeelements throughout.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-7, a mobile wireless communications device 20according to the present invention is now described. The mobile wirelesscommunications device 20 illustratively includes first and secondhousings 21, 22. The first and second housings 21, 22 may compriseintegrally molded plastic or a metal/alloy (anodized aluminum), forexample. The mobile wireless communications device 20 illustrativelyincludes a hinge 29 pivotally coupling the first and second housings 21,22, i.e. the mobile wireless communications device has a flip/clamshellform factor. The first housing 21 illustratively includes a plurality ofswitches 23 a-23 d on a side thereof, for example, push-to-talk (PTT)and volume control switches.

The mobile wireless communications device 20 illustratively includes afirst antenna 24 carried by the first housing, and a second antenna 25carried by the second housing. For example, the first and secondantennas 24, 25 may comprise flexible metal formed on a flexiblesubstrate. For example, and as in the illustrated embodiment, the firstantenna 24 is carried by the first housing 21 on an end thereof oppositeto the hinge 29. The second antenna 25 is carried by the second housing22 adjacent the hinge 29.

The mobile wireless communications device 20 illustratively includeswireless transceiver circuitry 51 and other circuitry 51 carried by thefirst housing 21 and configured for spatial diversity operation with thefirst and second antennas 24, 25. For example, the other circuitry 51may include a processor, a memory, etc. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, the spatial diversity operation improves receptionof a transmitted signal. Indeed, the spaced apart positioning of thefirst and second antennas 24, 25 is advantageous to the spatialdiversity operation. The mobile wireless communications device 20illustratively includes a hinge connector 30 carried by the hinge 29 andcoupling the second antenna 25 to the wireless transceiver circuitry 51.

As perhaps best seen in FIG. 5, the mobile wireless communicationsdevice 20 illustratively includes a circuit board 35 carried by thesecond housing 22. The circuit board 35 illustratively includes flexiblecircuit portions 34, 38 coupling the circuit board to the hingeconnector 30. The hinge 29 illustratively includes a hinge body 40having a passageway therethrough. The hinge connector 30 illustrativelyincludes a coaxial portion 32 extending into the passageway of the hingebody 40, and a flexible circuit portion 33 being coupled to the coaxialportion and comprising a flexible substrate and a plurality ofelectrical conductive traces thereon.

The flexible circuit portion 33 is coupled to the underside of theflexible circuit portions 34, 38 (FIG. 5: shown with shadowed lines).The hinge body 40 illustratively includes a first end 41 and a medialportion 42 adjacent thereto, and the coaxial portion 32 passes into thefirst end, and the flexible circuit portion extends from the medialportion. Advantageously, the connection lines of the flexible circuitportion 33 do not cross over the second antenna 25 (not shown in FIG.5), thereby improving reception performance. In other words, theconnection lines of the flexible circuit portion 33 and the secondantenna 25 are on opposing sides of the circuit board 35.

In the illustrated embodiment, the mobile wireless communications 20illustratively includes an electrically conductive bias spring 36providing an electrically conductive path between the first 21 andsecond 22 housings. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art,the electrically conductive bias spring 36 serves as the radio frequency(RF) ground contact for the first and second antennas 24, 25. Inparticular, the electrically conductive bias spring 36 aids in movingthe second housing 22 from the closed (FIG. 2) and open (FIG. 1)positions.

The mobile wireless communications 20 illustratively includes a circuitboard 52 carried by the first housing 21, and a capacitor 37 on thecircuit board electrically coupled to the electrically conductive biasspring 36. The hinge connector 30 illustratively includes a circuitconnector 31 for coupling to the circuit board 52, for example, a zeroinsertion force (ZIF) connector.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the capacitancevalue of the capacitor 37 may be adjusted for desired RF performance.The mobile wireless communications 20 illustratively includes a display(not shown) carried by the second housing 22, and a graphic processingunit (GPU) 51 carried by the first housing 21 and configured to becoupled to the display via the hinge connector 30. In the illustratedembodiment, the hinge connector 30 illustratively includes a pluralityof connections, for example, the RF connection to the second antenna 25and the display connection from the GPU 51.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the mobile communications device 20illustratively includes an inductor 55 and a capacitor 56 coupling thefirst and second antennas 24, 25 together for controlling isolation andbalancing of the first and second antennas. The inductor 55 is providedvia the aforementioned hinge connector 30, and the capacitor 56 isprovided via cooperation between the electrically conductive bias spring36 and the capacitor 37 on the circuit board 52.

Advantageously, the arrangement of the first and second antennas 24, 25and the hinge connector 30 coupling the second antenna to the wirelesscircuitry 51 improve diversity antenna performance. This arrangementalso reduces the number mechanical parts needed to connect the secondantenna 25, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and improvingreliability. Moreover, the positioning of the second antenna 25 on theflexible circuit portions 34, 38 reduces packaging size and improvesantenna performance.

Example components that may be used in the mobile wirelesscommunications device of FIGS. 1-8 are further described below withreference to FIGS. 9-12. Generally speaking, a mobile device may beconfigured according to an IT policy. It should be noted that the termIT policy, in general, refers to a collection of IT policy rules, inwhich the IT policy rules can be defined as being either grouped ornon-grouped and global or per-user. The terms grouped, non-grouped,global and per-user are defined further below. Examples of applicablecommunication devices include pagers, cellular phones, cellularsmart-phones, wireless organizers, personal digital assistants,computers, laptops, handheld wireless communication devices, wirelesslyenabled notebook computers and the like.

The mobile device is a two-way communication device with advanced datacommunication capabilities including the capability to communicate withother mobile devices or computer systems through a network oftransceiver stations. The mobile device may also have the capability toallow voice communication. Depending on the functionality provided bythe mobile device, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, atwo-way pager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, awireless Internet appliance, or a data communication device (with orwithout telephony capabilities). To aid the reader in understanding thestructure of the mobile device and how it communicates with otherdevices and host systems, reference will now be made to FIGS. 9-12.

Referring first to FIG. 9, shown therein is a block diagram of anexample embodiment of a mobile device 100. The mobile device 100includes a number of components such as a main processor 102 thatcontrols the overall operation of the mobile device 100. Communicationfunctions, including data and voice communications, are performedthrough a communication subsystem 104. The communication subsystem 104receives messages from and sends messages to a wireless network 200. Inthis example embodiment of the mobile device 100, the communicationsubsystem 104 is configured in accordance with the Global System forMobile Communication (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS)standards. The GSM/GPRS wireless network is used worldwide and it isexpected that these standards will be superseded eventually by EnhancedData GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsService (UMTS). New standards are still being defined, but it isbelieved that they will have similarities to the network behaviordescribed herein, and it will also be understood by persons skilled inthe art that the example embodiments described herein are intended touse any other suitable standards that are developed in the future. Thewireless link connecting the communication subsystem 104 with thewireless network 200 represents one or more different Radio Frequency(RF) channels, operating according to defined protocols specified forGSM/GPRS communications. With newer network protocols, these channelsare capable of supporting both circuit switched voice communications andpacket switched data communications.

Although the wireless network 200 associated with mobile device 100 is aGSM/GPRS wireless network in one example implementation, other wirelessnetworks may also be associated with the mobile device 100 in variantimplementations. The different types of wireless networks that may beemployed include, for example, data-centric wireless networks,voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks that can supportboth voice and data communications over the same physical base stations.Combined dual-mode networks include, but are not limited to, CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRS networks(as mentioned above), and future third-generation (3G) networks likeEDGE and UMTS. Some other examples of data-centric networks include WiFi802.11, Mobitex™ and DataTAC™ network communication systems. Examples ofother voice-centric data networks include Personal Communication Systems(PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)systems.

The main processor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such asa Random Access Memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display 110, anauxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 112, a data port 114, a keyboard116, a speaker 118, a microphone 120, short-range communications 122 andother device subsystems 124.

Some of the subsystems of the mobile device 100 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, the display 110and the keyboard 116 may be used for both communication-relatedfunctions, such as entering a text message for transmission over thenetwork 200, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or tasklist.

The mobile device 100 can send and receive communication signals overthe wireless network 200 after required network registration oractivation procedures have been completed. Network access is associatedwith a subscriber or user of the mobile device 100. To identify asubscriber, the mobile device 100 requires a SIN/RUIN card 126 (i. e.,Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User Identity Module) to beinserted into a SIN/RUIN interface 128 in order to communicate with anetwork. The SIM card or RUIN 126 is one type of a conventional “smartcard” that can be used to identify a subscriber of the mobile device 100and to personalize the mobile device 100, among other things. Withoutthe SIM card 126, the mobile device 100 is not fully operational forcommunication with the wireless network 200. By inserting the SIMcard/RUIM 126 into the SIN/RUIN interface 128, a subscriber can accessall subscribed services. Services may include: web browsing andmessaging such as email, voice mail, Short Message Service (SMS), andMultimedia Messaging Services (MMS). More advanced services may include:point of sale, field service and sales force automation. The SIMcard/RUIM 126 includes a processor and memory for storing information.Once the SIM card/RUIM 126 is inserted into the SIM/RUIM interface 128,it is coupled to the main processor 102. In order to identify thesubscriber, the SIM card/RUIM 126 can include some user parameters suchas an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage ofusing the SIM card/RUIM 126 is that a subscriber is not necessarilybound by any single physical mobile device. The SIM card/RUIM 126 maystore additional subscriber information for a mobile device as well,including date book (or calendar) information and recent callinformation. Alternatively, user identification information can also beprogrammed into the flash memory 108.

The mobile device 100 is a battery-powered device and includes a batteryinterface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130. Inat least some example embodiments, the battery 130 can be a smartbattery with an embedded microprocessor. The battery interface 132 iscoupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists the battery 130 inproviding power V+ to the mobile device 100. Although current technologymakes use of a battery, future technologies such as micro fuel cells mayprovide the power to the mobile device 100.

The mobile device 100 also includes an operating system 134 and softwarecomponents 136 to 146 which are described in more detail below. Theoperating system 134 and the software components 136 to 146 that areexecuted by the main processor 102 are typically stored in a persistentstore such as the flash memory 108, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that portions of the operating system134 and the software components 136 to 146, such as specific deviceapplications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as the RAM 106. Other software components can alsobe included, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

The subset of software applications 136 that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications, willnormally be installed on the mobile device 100 during its manufacture.Other software applications include a message application 138 that canbe any suitable software program that allows a user of the mobile device100 to send and receive electronic messages. Various alternatives existfor the message application 138 as is well known to those skilled in theart. Messages that have been sent or received by the user are typicallystored in the flash memory 108 of the mobile device 100 or some othersuitable storage element in the mobile device 100. In at least someexample embodiments, some of the sent and received messages may bestored remotely from the device 100 such as in a data store of anassociated host system that the mobile device 100 communicates with.

The software applications can further include a device state module 140,a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 142, and other suitable modules(not shown). The device state module 140 provides persistence, i. e.,the device state module 140 ensures that important device data is storedin persistent memory, such as the flash memory 108, so that the data isnot lost when the mobile device 100 is turned off or loses power.

The PIM 142 includes functionality for organizing and managing dataitems of interest to the user, such as, but not limited to, email,contacts, calendar events, voice mails, appointments, and task items. APIM application has the ability to send and receive data items via thewireless network 200. PIM data items may be seamlessly integrated,synchronized, and updated via the wireless network 200 with the mobiledevice subscriber's corresponding data items stored and/or associatedwith a host computer system. This functionality creates a mirrored hostcomputer on the mobile device 100 with respect to such items. This canbe particularly advantageous when the host computer system is the mobiledevice subscriber's office computer system.

The mobile device 100 also includes a connect module 144, and an ITpolicy module 146. The connect module 144 implements the communicationprotocols that are required for the mobile device 100 to communicatewith the wireless infrastructure and any host system, such as anenterprise system, that the mobile device 100 is authorized to interfacewith. Examples of a wireless infrastructure and an enterprise system aregiven in FIGS. 11 and 12, which are described in more detail below.

The connect module 144 includes a set of APIs that can be integratedwith the mobile device 100 to allow the mobile device 100 to use anynumber of services associated with the enterprise system. The connectmodule 144 allows the mobile device 100 to establish an end-to-endsecure, authenticated communication pipe with the host system. A subsetof applications for which access is provided by the connect module 144can be used to pass IT policy commands from the host system to themobile device 100. This can be done in a wireless or wired manner. Theseinstructions can then be passed to the IT policy module 146 to modifythe configuration of the device 100. Alternatively, in some cases, theIT policy update can also be done over a wired connection.

The IT policy module 146 receives IT policy data that encodes the ITpolicy. The IT policy module 146 then ensures that the IT policy data isauthenticated by the mobile device 100. The IT policy data can then bestored in the flash memory 106 in its native form. After the IT policydata is stored, a global notification can be sent by the IT policymodule 146 to all of the applications residing on the mobile device 100.Applications for which the IT policy may be applicable then respond byreading the IT policy data to look for IT policy rules that areapplicable.

The IT policy module 146 can include a parser (not shown), which can beused by the applications to read the IT policy rules. In some cases,another module or application can provide the parser. Grouped IT policyrules, described in more detail below, are retrieved as byte streams,which are then sent (recursively, in a sense) into the parser todetermine the values of each IT policy rule defined within the groupedIT policy rule. In at least some example embodiments, the IT policymodule 146 can determine which applications are affected by the ITpolicy data and send a notification to only those applications. Ineither of these cases, for applications that aren't running at the timeof the notification, the applications can call the parser or the ITpolicy module 146 when they are executed to determine if there are anyrelevant IT policy rules in the newly received IT policy data.

All applications that support rules in the IT Policy are coded to knowthe type of data to expect. For example, the value that is set for the“WEP User Name” IT policy rule is known to be a string; therefore thevalue in the IT policy data that corresponds to this rule is interpretedas a string. As another example, the setting for the “Set MaximumPassword Attempts” IT policy rule is known to be an integer, andtherefore the value in the IT policy data that corresponds to this ruleis interpreted as such.

After the IT policy rules have been applied to the applicableapplications or configuration files, the IT policy module 146 sends anacknowledgement back to the host system to indicate that the IT policydata was received and successfully applied.

Other types of software applications can also be installed on the mobiledevice 100. These software applications can be third party applications,which are added after the manufacture of the mobile device 100. Examplesof third party applications include games, calculators, utilities, etc.

The additional applications can be loaded onto the mobile device 100through at least one of the wireless network 200, the auxiliary I/Osubsystem 112, the data port 114, the short-range communicationssubsystem 122, or any other suitable device subsystem 124. Thisflexibility in application installation increases the functionality ofthe mobile device 100 and may provide enhanced on-device functions,communication-related functions, or both. For example, securecommunication applications may enable electronic commerce functions andother such financial transactions to be performed using the mobiledevice 100.

The data port 114 enables a subscriber to set preferences through anexternal device or software application and extends the capabilities ofthe mobile device 100 by providing for information or software downloadsto the mobile device 100 other than through a wireless communicationnetwork. The alternate download path may, for example, be used to loadan encryption key onto the mobile device 100 through a direct and thusreliable and trusted connection to provide secure device communication.

The data port 114 can be any suitable port that enables datacommunication between the mobile device 100 and another computingdevice. The data port 114 can be a serial or a parallel port. In someinstances, the data port 114 can be a USB port that includes data linesfor data transfer and a supply line that can provide a charging currentto charge the battery 130 of the mobile device 100.

The short-range communications subsystem 122 provides for communicationbetween the mobile device 100 and different systems or devices, withoutthe use of the wireless network 200. For example, the subsystem 122 mayinclude an infrared device and associated circuits and components forshort-range communication. Examples of short-range communicationstandards include standards developed by the Infrared Data Association(IrDA), Bluetooth, and the 802.11 family of standards developed by IEEE.

In use, a received signal such as a text message, an email message, orweb page download will be processed by the communication subsystem 104and input to the main processor 102. The main processor 102 will thenprocess the received signal for output to the display 110 oralternatively to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 112. A subscriber may alsocompose data items, such as email messages, for example, using thekeyboard 116 in conjunction with the display 110 and possibly theauxiliary I/O subsystem 112. The auxiliary subsystem 112 may includedevices such as: a touch screen, mouse, track ball, infrared fingerprintdetector, or a roller wheel with dynamic button pressing capability. Thekeyboard 116 is preferably an alphanumeric keyboard and/ortelephone-type keypad. However, other types of keyboards may also beused. A composed item may be transmitted over the wireless network 200through the communication subsystem 104.

For voice communications, the overall operation of the mobile device 100is substantially similar, except that the received signals are output tothe speaker 118, and signals for transmission are generated by themicrophone 120. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, can also be implemented on the mobiledevice 100. Although voice or audio signal output is accomplishedprimarily through the speaker 118, the display 110 can also be used toprovide additional information such as the identity of a calling party,duration of a voice call, or other voice call related information.

Referring now to FIG. 10, an example block diagram of the communicationsubsystem component 104 is shown. The communication subsystem 104includes a receiver 150, a transmitter 152, as well as associatedcomponents such as one or more embedded or internal antenna elements 154and 156, Local Oscillators (LOs) 158, and a processing module such as aDigital Signal Processor (DSP) 160. The particular design of thecommunication subsystem 104 is dependent upon the communication network200 with which the mobile device 100 is intended to operate. Thus, itshould be understood that the design illustrated in FIG. 10 serves onlyas one example.

Signals received by the antenna 154 through the wireless network 200 areinput to the receiver 150, which may perform such common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, and analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/Dconversion of a received signal allows more complex communicationfunctions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in the DSP160. In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed,including modulation and encoding, by the DSP 160. These DSP-processedsignals are input to the transmitter 152 for digital-to-analog (D/A)conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification andtransmission over the wireless network 200 via the antenna 156. The DSP160 not only processes communication signals, but also provides forreceiver and transmitter control. For example, the gains applied tocommunication signals in the receiver 150 and the transmitter 152 may beadaptively controlled through automatic gain control algorithmsimplemented in the DSP 160.

The wireless link between the mobile device 100 and the wireless network200 can contain one or more different channels, typically different RFchannels, and associated protocols used between the mobile device 100and the wireless network 200. An RF channel is a limited resource thatmust be conserved, typically due to limits in overall bandwidth andlimited battery power of the mobile device 100.

When the mobile device 100 is fully operational, the transmitter 152 istypically keyed or turned on only when it is transmitting to thewireless network 200 and is otherwise turned off to conserve resources.Similarly, the receiver 150 is periodically turned off to conserve poweruntil it is needed to receive signals or information (if at all) duringdesignated time periods.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a block diagram of an example implementationof a node 202 of the wireless network 200 is shown. In practice, thewireless network 200 includes one or more nodes 202. In conjunction withthe connect module 144, the mobile device 100 can communicate with thenode 202 within the wireless network 200. In the example implementationof FIG. 11, the node 202 is configured in accordance with General PacketRadio Service (GPRS) and Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) technologies.The node 202 includes a base station controller (BSC) 204 with anassociated tower station 206, a Packet Control Unit (PCU) 208 added forGPRS support in GSM, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) 210, a HomeLocation Register (HLR) 212, a Visitor Location Registry (VLR) 214, aServing GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 216, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)218, and a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) 220. This list ofcomponents is not meant to be an exhaustive list of the components ofevery node 202 within a GSM/GPRS network, but rather a list ofcomponents that are commonly used in communications through the network200.

In a GSM network, the MSC 210 is coupled to the BSC 204 and to alandline network, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 222to satisfy circuit switched requirements. The connection through the PCU208, the SGSN 216 and the GGSN 218 to a public or private network(Internet) 224 (also referred to herein generally as a shared networkinfrastructure) represents the data path for GPRS capable mobiledevices. In a GSM network extended with GPRS capabilities, the BSC 204also contains the Packet Control Unit (PCU) 208 that connects to theSGSN 216 to control segmentation, radio channel allocation and tosatisfy packet switched requirements. To track the location of themobile device 100 and availability for both circuit switched and packetswitched management, the HLR 212 is shared between the MSC 210 and theSGSN 216. Access to the VLR 214 is controlled by the MSC 210.

The station 206 is a fixed transceiver station and together with the BSC204 form fixed transceiver equipment. The fixed transceiver equipmentprovides wireless network coverage for a particular coverage areacommonly referred to as a “cell.” The fixed transceiver equipmenttransmits communication signals to and receives communication signalsfrom mobile devices within its cell via the station 206. The fixedtransceiver equipment normally performs such functions as modulation andpossibly encoding and/or encryption of signals to be transmitted to themobile device 100 in accordance with particular, usually predetermined,communication protocols and parameters, under control of its controller.The fixed transceiver equipment similarly demodulates and possiblydecodes and decrypts, if necessary, any communication signals receivedfrom the mobile device 100 within its cell. Communication protocols andparameters may vary between different nodes. For example, one node mayemploy a different modulation scheme and operate at differentfrequencies than other nodes.

For all mobile devices 100 registered with a specific network, permanentconfiguration data such as a user profile is stored in the HLR 212. TheHLR 212 also contains location information for each registered mobiledevice and can be queried to determine the current location of a mobiledevice. The MSC 210 is responsible for a group of location areas andstores the data of the mobile devices currently in its area ofresponsibility in the VLR 214. Further, the VLR 214 also containsinformation on mobile devices that are visiting other networks. Theinformation in the VLR 214 includes part of the permanent mobile devicedata transmitted from the HLR 212 to the VLR 214 for faster access. Bymoving additional information from a remote HLR 212 node to the VLR 214,the amount of traffic between these nodes can be reduced so that voiceand data services can be provided with faster response times and at thesame time requiring less use of computing resources.

The SGSN 216 and the GGSN 218 are elements added for GPRS support,namely packet switched data support, within GSM. The SGSN 216 and theMSC 210 have similar responsibilities within the wireless network 200 bykeeping track of the location of each mobile device 100. The SGSN 216also performs security functions and access control for data traffic onthe wireless network 200. The GGSN 218 provides internetworkingconnections with external packet switched networks and connects to oneor more SGSN's 216 via an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone networkoperated within the network 200. During normal operations, a givenmobile device 100 must perform a “GPRS Attach” to acquire an IP addressand to access data services. This requirement is not present in circuitswitched voice channels as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)addresses are used for routing incoming and outgoing calls. Currently,all GPRS capable networks use private, dynamically assigned IPaddresses, thus requiring the DHCP server 220 connected to the GGSN 218.There are many mechanisms for dynamic IP assignment, including using acombination of a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)server and a DHCP server. Once the GPRS Attach is complete, a logicalconnection is established from a mobile device 100, through the PCU 208,and the SGSN 216 to an Access Point Node (APN) within the GGSN 218. TheAPN represents a logical end of an IP tunnel that can either accessdirect Internet compatible services or private network connections. TheAPN also represents a security mechanism for the network 200, insofar aseach mobile device 100 must be assigned to one or more APNs and mobiledevices 100 cannot exchange data without first performing a GPRS Attachto an APN that it has been authorized to use. The APN may be consideredto be similar to an Internet domain name such as “myconnection.wireless.com.”

Once the GPRS Attach operation is complete, a tunnel is created and alltraffic is exchanged within standard IP packets using any protocol thatcan be supported in IP packets. This includes tunneling methods such asIP over IP as in the case with some IPSecurity (IPsec) connections usedwith Virtual Private Networks (VPN). These tunnels are also referred toas Packet Data Protocol (PDP) Contexts and there are a limited number ofthese available in the network 200. To maximize use of the PDP Contexts,the network 200 will run an idle timer for each PDP Context to determineif there is a lack of activity. When a mobile device 100 is not usingits PDP Context, the PDP Context can be de-allocated and the IP addressreturned to the IP address pool managed by the DHCP server 220.

Referring now to FIG. 12, shown therein is a block diagram illustratingcomponents of an example configuration of a host system 250 that themobile device 100 can communicate with in conjunction with the connectmodule 144. The host system 250 will typically be a corporate enterpriseor other local area network (LAN), but may also be a home officecomputer or some other private system, for example, in variantimplementations. In this example shown in FIG. 12, the host system 250is depicted as a LAN of an organization to which a user of the mobiledevice 100 belongs. Typically, a plurality of mobile devices cancommunicate wirelessly with the host system 250 through one or morenodes 202 of the wireless network 200.

The host system 250 includes a number of network components connected toeach other by a network 260. For instance, a user's desktop computer 262a with an accompanying cradle 264 for the user's mobile device 100 issituated on a LAN connection. The cradle 264 for the mobile device 100can be coupled to the computer 262 a by a serial or a Universal SerialBus (USB) connection, for example. Other user computers 262 b-262 n arealso situated on the network 260, and each may or may not be equippedwith an accompanying cradle 264. The cradle 264 facilitates the loadingof information (e.g., PIM data, private symmetric encryption keys tofacilitate secure communications) from the user computer 262 a to themobile device 100, and may be particularly useful for bulk informationupdates often performed in initializing the mobile device 100 for use.The information downloaded to the mobile device 100 may includecertificates used in the exchange of messages.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the usercomputers 262 a-262 n will typically also be connected to otherperipheral devices, such as printers, etc. which are not explicitlyshown in FIG. 12. Furthermore, only a subset of network components ofthe host system 250 are shown in FIG. 9 for ease of exposition, and itwill be understood by persons skilled in the art that the host system250 will include additional components that are not explicitly shown inFIG. 10 for this example configuration. More generally, the host system250 may represent a smaller part of a larger network (not shown) of theorganization, and may include different components and/or be arranged indifferent topologies than that shown in the example embodiment of FIG.12.

To facilitate the operation of the mobile device 100 and the wirelesscommunication of messages and message-related data between the mobiledevice 100 and components of the host system 250, a number of wirelesscommunication support components 270 can be provided. In someimplementations, the wireless communication support components 270 caninclude a message management server 272, a mobile data server 274, acontact server 276, and a device manager module 278. The device managermodule 278 includes an IT Policy editor 280 and an IT user propertyeditor 282, as well as other software components for allowing an ITadministrator to configure the mobile devices 100. In an alternativeexample embodiment, there may be one editor that provides thefunctionality of both the IT policy editor 280 and the IT user propertyeditor 282. The support components 270 also include a data store 284,and an IT policy server 286. The IT policy server 286 includes aprocessor 288, a network interface 290 and a memory unit 292. Theprocessor 288 controls the operation of the IT policy server 286 andexecutes functions related to the standardized IT policy as describedbelow. The network interface 290 allows the IT policy server 286 tocommunicate with the various components of the host system 250 and themobile devices 100. The memory unit 292 can store functions used inimplementing the IT policy as well as related data. Those skilled in theart know how to implement these various components. Other components mayalso be included as is well known to those skilled in the art. Further,in some implementations, the data store 284 can be part of any one ofthe servers.

In this example embodiment, the mobile device 100 communicates with thehost system 250 through node 202 of the wireless network 200 and ashared network infrastructure 224 such as a service provider network orthe public Internet. Access to the host system 250 may be providedthrough one or more routers (not shown), and computing devices of thehost system 250 may operate from behind a firewall or proxy server 266.The proxy server 266 provides a secure node and a wireless Internetgateway for the host system 250. The proxy server 266 intelligentlyroutes data to the correct destination server within the host system250.

In some implementations, the host system 250 can include a wireless VPNrouter (not shown) to facilitate data exchange between the host system250 and the mobile device 100. The wireless VPN router allows a VPNconnection to be established directly through a specific wirelessnetwork to the mobile device 100. The wireless VPN router can be usedwith the Internet Protocol (IP) Version 6 (IPV6) and IP-based wirelessnetworks. This protocol can provide enough IP addresses so that eachmobile device has a dedicated IP address, making it possible to pushinformation to a mobile device at any time. An advantage of using awireless VPN router is that it can be an off-the-shelf VPN component,and does not require a separate wireless gateway and separate wirelessinfrastructure. A VPN connection can preferably be a TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP)/IP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP)/IP connectionfor delivering the messages directly to the mobile device 100 in thisalternative implementation.

Messages intended for a user of the mobile device 100 are initiallyreceived by a message server 268 of the host system 250. Such messagesmay originate from any number of sources. For instance, a message mayhave been sent by a sender from the computer 262 b within the hostsystem 250, from a different mobile device (not shown) connected to thewireless network 200 or a different wireless network, or from adifferent computing device, or other device capable of sending messages,via the shared network infrastructure 224, possibly through anapplication service provider (ASP) or Internet service provider (ISP),for example.

The message server 268 typically acts as the primary interface for theexchange of messages, particularly email messages, within theorganization and over the shared network infrastructure 224. Each userin the organization that has been set up to send and receive messages istypically associated with a user account managed by the message server268. Some example implementations of the message server 268 include aMicrosoft Exchange™ server, a Lotus Domino™ server, a Novell Groupwise™server, or another suitable mail server installed in a corporateenvironment. In some implementations, the host system 250 may includemultiple message servers 268. The message server 268 may also be adaptedto provide additional functions beyond message management, including themanagement of data associated with calendars and task lists, forexample.

When messages are received by the message server 268, they are typicallystored in a data store associated with the message server 268. In atleast some example embodiments, the data store may be a separatehardware unit, such as data store 284, that the message server 268communicates with. Messages can be subsequently retrieved and deliveredto users by accessing the message server 268. For instance, an emailclient application operating on a user's computer 262 a may request theemail messages associated with that user's account stored on the datastore associated with the message server 268. These messages are thenretrieved from the data store and stored locally on the computer 262 a.The data store associated with the message server 268 can store copiesof each message that is locally stored on the mobile device 100.Alternatively, the data store associated with the message server 268 canstore all of the messages for the user of the mobile device 100 and onlya smaller number of messages can be stored on the mobile device 100 toconserve memory. For instance, the most recent messages (i. e., thosereceived in the past two to three months for example) can be stored onthe mobile device 100.

When operating the mobile device 100, the user may wish to have emailmessages retrieved for delivery to the mobile device 100. The messageapplication 138 operating on the mobile device 100 may also requestmessages associated with the user's account from the message server 268.The message application 138 may be configured (either by the user or byan administrator, possibly in accordance with an organization'sinformation technology (IT) policy) to make this request at thedirection of the user, at some pre-defined time interval, or upon theoccurrence of some pre-defined event. In some implementations, themobile device 100 is assigned its own email address, and messagesaddressed specifically to the mobile device 100 are automaticallyredirected to the mobile device 100 as they are received by the messageserver 268.

The message management server 272 can be used to specifically providesupport for the management of messages, such as email messages, that areto be handled by mobile devices. Generally, while messages are stillstored on the message server 268, the message management server 272 canbe used to control when, if, and how messages are sent to the mobiledevice 100. The message management server 272 also facilitates thehandling of messages composed on the mobile device 100, which are sentto the message server 268 for subsequent delivery.

For example, the message management server 272 may monitor the user's“mailbox” (e. g., the message store associated with the user's accounton the message server 268) for new email messages, and applyuser-definable filters to new messages to determine if and how themessages are relayed to the user's mobile device 100. The messagemanagement server 272 may also compress and encrypt new messages (e. g.,using an encryption technique such as Data Encryption Standard (DES),Triple DES, or Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)) and push them to themobile device 100 via the shared network infrastructure 224 and thewireless network 200. The message management server 272 may also receivemessages composed on the mobile device 100 (e. g., encrypted usingTriple DES), decrypt and decompress the composed messages, re-format thecomposed messages if desired so that they will appear to have originatedfrom the user's computer 262 a, and re-route the composed messages tothe message server 268 for delivery.

Certain properties or restrictions associated with messages that are tobe sent from and/or received by the mobile device 100 can be defined (e.g., by an administrator in accordance with IT policy) and enforced bythe message management server 272. These may include whether the mobiledevice 100 may receive encrypted and/or signed messages, minimumencryption key sizes, whether outgoing messages must be encrypted and/orsigned, and whether copies of all secure messages sent from the mobiledevice 100 are to be sent to a pre-defined copy address, for example.

The message management server 272 may also be adapted to provide othercontrol functions, such as only pushing certain message information orpre-defined portions (e. g., “blocks”) of a message stored on themessage server 268 to the mobile device 100. For example, in some cases,when a message is initially retrieved by the mobile device 100 from themessage server 268, the message management server 272 may push only thefirst part of a message to the mobile device 100, with the part being ofa pre-defined size (e. g., 2 KB). The user can then request that more ofthe message be delivered in similar-sized blocks by the messagemanagement server 272 to the mobile device 100, possibly up to a maximumpredefined message size. Accordingly, the message management server 272facilitates better control over the type of data and the amount of datathat is communicated to the mobile device 100, and can help to minimizepotential waste of bandwidth or other resources.

The mobile data server 274 encompasses any other server that storesinformation that is relevant to the corporation. The mobile data server274 may include, but is not limited to, databases, online data documentrepositories, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, orenterprise resource planning (ERP) applications.

The contact server 276 can provide information for a list of contactsfor the user in a similar fashion as the address book on the mobiledevice 100. Accordingly, for a given contact, the contact server 276 caninclude the name, phone number, work address and email address of thecontact, among other information. The contact server 276 can alsoprovide a global address list that contains the contact information forall of the contacts associated with the host system 250.

It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the messagemanagement server 272, the mobile data server 274, the contact server276, the device manager module 278, the data store 284 and the IT policyserver 286 do not need to be implemented on separate physical serverswithin the host system 250. For example, some or all of the functionsassociated with the message management server 272 may be integrated withthe message server 268, or some other server in the host system 250.Alternatively, the host system 250 may include multiple messagemanagement servers 272, particularly in variant implementations where alarge number of mobile devices need to be supported.

Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the IT policy server 286 canprovide the IT policy editor 280, the IT user property editor 282 andthe data store 284. In some cases, the IT policy server 286 can alsoprovide the device manager module 278. The processor 288 of the ITpolicy server 286 can be used to perform the various steps of a methodfor providing IT policy data that is customizable on a per-user basis.The processor 288 can execute the editors 280 and 282. In some cases,the functionality of the editors 280 and 282 can be provided by a singleeditor. In some cases, the memory unit 292 can provide the data store284.

The device manager module 278 provides an IT administrator with agraphical user interface with which the IT administrator interacts toconfigure various settings for the mobile devices 100. As mentioned, theIT administrator can use IT policy rules to define behaviors of certainapplications on the mobile device 100 that are permitted such as phone,web browser or Instant Messenger use. The IT policy rules can also beused to set specific values for configuration settings that anorganization requires on the mobile devices 100 such as auto signaturetext, WLAN/VoIP/VPN configuration, security requirements (e. g.,encryption algorithms, password rules, etc.), specifying themes orapplications that are allowed to run on the mobile device 100, and thelike.

Many modifications and other embodiments will come to the mind of oneskilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it isunderstood that various modifications and embodiments are intended to beincluded within the scope of the appended claims.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A mobile wireless communications devicecomprising: first and second housings; a hinge pivotally coupling saidfirst and second housings and comprising a hinge body having apassageway therethrough, a first end, and a medial portion adjacent saidfirst end; a first antenna carried by said first housing; a secondantenna carried by said second housing; wireless transceiver circuitrycarried by said first housing and configured for spatial diversityoperation with said first and second antennas; and a hinge connectorcarried by said hinge and coupling said second antenna to said wirelesstransceiver circuitry, said hinge connector comprising a coaxial portionextending into the passageway of said hinge body, and a flexible circuitportion being coupled to said coaxial portion and comprising a flexiblesubstrate and a plurality of electrical conductive traces thereon, saidcoaxial portion passing into the first end, and said flexible circuitportion extending from the medial portion.
 2. The mobile wirelesscommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising anelectrically conductive bias spring providing an electrically conductivepath between the first and second housings.
 3. The mobile wirelesscommunications device according to claim 2 further comprising a circuitboard carried by said first housing.
 4. The mobile wirelesscommunications device according to claim 3 further comprising acapacitor on said circuit board and electrically coupled to saidelectrically conductive bias spring.
 5. The mobile wirelesscommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising: a displaycarried by said second housing; and a graphic processing unit (GPU)carried by said first housing and configured to be coupled to saiddisplay via said hinge connector.
 6. The mobile wireless communicationsdevice according to claim 1 wherein said first antenna is carried bysaid first housing on an end thereof opposite to said hinge.
 7. A mobilewireless communications device comprising: first and second housings; ahinge pivotally coupling said first and second housings and comprising ahinge body having a passageway therethrough, a first end, and a medialportion adjacent said first end; a first antenna carried by said firsthousing; a second antenna carried by said second housing and adjacentsaid hinge; wireless transceiver circuitry carried by said first housingand configured for spatial diversity operation with said first andsecond antennas; and a hinge connector carried by said hinge andcoupling said second antenna to said wireless transceiver circuitry,said hinge connector comprising a coaxial portion extending into thepassageway of said hinge body, and a flexible circuit portion beingcoupled to said coaxial portion and comprising a flexible substrate anda plurality of electrical conductive traces thereon, said coaxialportion passing into the first end, and said flexible circuit portionextending from the medial portion.
 8. The mobile wireless communicationsdevice according to claim 7 further comprising an electricallyconductive bias spring providing an electrically conductive path betweenthe first and second housings.
 9. The mobile wireless communicationsdevice according to claim 7 further comprising: a display carried bysaid second housing; and a graphic processing unit (GPU) carried by saidfirst housing and configured to be coupled to said display via saidhinge connector.
 10. A method of making a mobile wireless communicationsdevice comprising: providing first and second housings; forming a hingeto comprise a hinge body having a passageway therethrough, a first end,and a medial portion adjacent the first end; pivotally coupling thefirst and second housings with the hinge; positioning a first antenna tobe carried by the first housing; positioning a second antenna to becarried by the second housing; positioning wireless transceivercircuitry to be carried by the first housing and for spatial diversityoperation with the first and second antennas; coupling the secondantenna to the wireless transceiver circuitry with a hinge connectorcarried by the hinge; forming the hinge connector to comprise a coaxialportion extending into the passageway of the hinge body, and a flexiblecircuit portion coupled to the coaxial portion and comprising a flexiblesubstrate and a plurality of electrical conductive traces thereon; andpositioning the coaxial portion to pass into the first end, and theflexible circuit portion to extend from the medial portion.
 11. Themethod according to claim 10 further comprising electrically couplingthe first and second housings with an electrically conductive biasspring providing an electrically conductive path therebetween.
 12. Themethod according to claim 11 further comprising positioning a circuitboard to be carried by the first housing.
 13. The method according toclaim 12 further comprising positioning a capacitor on the circuit boardfor being electrically coupled to the electrically conductive biasspring.
 14. The method according to claim 10 further comprising:positioning a display to be carried by the second housing; andpositioning a graphic processing unit (GPU) to be carried by the firsthousing and to be coupled to the display via the hinge connector.